This has alwaus puzzled me. How does Mr. Leone seem to be able to capture House Flies in perfect time? The greatest example would be in OUTW with the opening scene at the train station. The comical battle between a man and a fly. Of course FFDM and GBU have their fly moments as well.

I think it's a case of excellent sound design, a fake fly pulled on a string, an excellent feel of pacing and a great talent. All these add up to an indelible image from one of the best opening sequences in cinema history.

yeah, somewhere on the dvd someone mentions they had a jar full of flies and put jelly all over jack elams face and that then used a fake fly and some string... although you are right, it does look like a magnet, how you would pull that off on wood I don't have a clue though.

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Harmonica: So, you're not a businessman after all. Frank: Just a man. Harmonica: An ancient race...

Ah, flies in movies. However he pulled it off, Mr. Leone's fly sequence is a masterpiece!It got me thinking about other fly sequences in movies that are memorable. Apart from the obvious, David Hedison turning into one in THE FLY (1958), the only other one of merit I can think of is the wonderfully inventive fly sequence in THE SPIRIT OF St. LOUIS (1957)! Director, BILLY WILDER, had a problem in telling the story of CHARLES LINDBERG'S 3,600 miles non-stop New York to Paris journey, how to keep an audience intrested (cinema wise) with one man in a cock-pit for a huge chunk of the movie without resorting to a voice over. He, pure genius, added a fly to the cock-pit that became a second actor which allowed JIMMY STEWART (Lindberg) to have an ongoing conversation with his tiny passenger. Classic stuff.Anybody got any favorite fly sequences that may have cropped up since film first came to life on a white sheet?

« Last Edit: June 14, 2005, 02:30:51 PM by Belkin »

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You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it on the streets...

Just remembered another one, BRANDO grabbing a fly in, APOCALYPSE NOW! And yet another, didn't DWIGHT FRYE, eat one in DRACULA (1930).....or was that a spider? Sorry, this maybe should be posted in another section but just following on from original (fly) posting!

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You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it on the streets...

In the DVD commentary Christopher Frayling says Jack Elam had honey on his lips. They then waited ages and did dozens of takes waiting for a fly to take the bait. Then the fly on the side of the chair is a fake moved by a magnet.

I actually had a magnet fly when I was a kid. The magnet was pretty strong - you could easily use it through a table or chair.